THESUSTAINERSUSTAINMENT WARRIORS SUSTAIN THE FIGHT

OptimismBy Lt. Col. Mark A. Raaker

Army atSeaLSV-6 cruises ArabianPeninsula

Ohio TAG andCSM visitKuwait

September 3, 2013 Vol. 2 Issue 3

MANASSee what the 371 is doingin Kyrgyzstan

Sustainment Warriorstake over operationsof PCCP Warehousein ManasStory and photo by Staff Sgt.Kimberly S. Hill

MANAS TRANSIT CENTER,Kyrgystan (August 4, 2013) –The Plate Carrier CollectionPoint Warehouse changedmanagement from civiliancontractors to a 13-soldier teamfrom the 371st SustainmentBrigade on June 17, 2013 at theManas Transit Center,Kyrgystan.

The warehouse oversees thecollection of plates, protectiveouter garments (POGs) andplate carriers from servicemembers returning to theirrespective duty stations, issuesand inspects plates forpersonnel deploying in theregion and updating theircentral issue facility records,

said Sgt. 1st Class James R.Shull, a Dover, Ohio native anda supply sergeant with the 371stSB.

“We test their plates if they’regoing downrange, we’ll inspectthem to make sure they’re [theplates] not expired or recalledand make sure they’re notcracked or damaged,” said Pfc.Deylon D. Watson, aColumbus, Ohio native and asupply specialist with the 371stSB.

The PCCP Warehouse servesupwards of 1,000 servicemembers and contractors a day,and supported 15,849 deployingand redeploying personnel sincethe 13-soldier team arrived inManas, said 1st Lt. Evan J.Howard a Dayton, Ohio nativeand the officer in charge of thePCCP Warehouse from the371st SB.

The decision to change the

management of the warehousefrom civilian contractors toArmy soldiers is part of the U.S.effort to reduce the overallfootprint in the region and willsave the military money,Howard said.

Over $1.2 million will be savedannually by switchingmanagement from contractorsto soldiers, said Capt. Allen C.LaDriere, a Marysville, Ohionative and the operationalcontract support branch chiefwith the 371st SB.

One of the biggest challengesfor the soldiers working in thewarehouse is accountability forevery plate, plate carrier andPOG that is issued and receivedby the warehouse, said Watson.

“We’re counting a lot of boxes,a lot of POGs,” he said. “Youdon’t want to be off one plate,you always want to have 100percent accountability.”

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Pfc. Deylon D. Watson, a Columbus, Ohio native and a supply specialist with the 371st SB receivesplate carriers from soldiers with the 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division at the Plate Carrier CollectionPoint Warehouse at the Manas Transit Center, Kyrgyzstan on Aug. 2, 2013. The warehouse changedmanagement from civilian contractors to soldiers with the arrival of 371st SB.

Welcome to Manas:Transit center servesas gateway to andfrom AfghanistanStory and photos by Staff Sgt.Kimberly S. Hill

MANAS TRANSIT CENTER,Kyrgystan (August 4, 2013) –Soldiers in multicam-patterneduniforms, their arms and backsweighed down with multiplebags and gear, pour out of thewhite buses lined up along thecurb.

They follow orders to unloadtheir gear in one of two smalltents off to the side of theterminal.

Although clearly exhausted,most of the soldiers are in goodcheer, smiling and joking withtheir peers as they file into a

building and take their seats infront of two large projectors,ready to listen to a briefing.

“We’re just glad to be goinghome,” said Capt. Douglas A.Worstell, the commander of the320th Military Police Company,based out of St. Petersburg,Florida and returning homefrom Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Personnel deploying, returningto their duty stations or goingon leave from Afghanistan andother areas in the region mustfirst go through the JointMovement Control Center at theManas Transit Center inKyrgyzstan before arriving attheir final destination.

“This is the gateway to andfrom Afghanistan,” saidThomas N. Naser, a Dayton,Ohio native and the night shift

noncommissioned officer incharge of the JMCC.

Soldiers with the 371stSustainment Brigade areworking in the JMCC at theManas Transit Center to providesupport to their fellow servicemembers, contractors andforeign military nationalsentering and exiting theatersince June 2013.

Although the transit center isrun by Air Force personnel,each branch must have theirown representativescoordinating flights for servicemembers, providing support andoperating the data theateraccountability system (DTAS),which starts and stops alldeployment monetaryentitlements while deployed,said Sgt. Matthew J. Merzke,the noncommissioned officer in

Gateway Continued on Page 7

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Soldiers from the 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division receive their welcome brief from Sgt. MatthewJ. Merzke, a motor transport operator with the 371st Sustainment Brigade after arriving at the ManasTransit Center, Kyrgyzstan on Aug. 1, 2013. The soldiers are returning from their deployment toKandahar, Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

The Commander of the Ohio National Guardin Ph

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Top: Maj. Gen. Deborah A. Ashenhurst, Ohio's adjutant general, meetswith 1st Lt. Anthony Campbell , the officer in charge of personnel of the371st Special Troops Battalion, 371st Sustianment Brigade at CampArifjan Kuwait on Aug. 30, 2013. Below: Command Sgt. Maj. RodgerM. Jones, the state command sergeant major for Ohio, speaks with MasterSgt. Jeffery D. Zentz, the noncommissioned officer in charge ofpersonnel for the 371st SB, at Camp Arifjan Kuwait on Aug. 30, 2013.

rd and State Command Sergeant Major Visithotos

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Top : Ma j . G e n . Debo r a h A . A s h e n hu r s t , t h e Oh i o a d j u t a n tg e n e r a l , s p e a k s w i t h s o l d i e r s o f t h e 3 7 1 s t S u s t a i nmen t B r i g a d ed u r i n g a l u n c h e o n a t C amp A r i f j a n , Kuwa i t o n Aug . 3 0 , 2 0 1 3 .B e l ow : Command Sg t . Ma j o r Rodg e r M . J o n e s , t h e s t a t ec ommand s e r g e a n t ma j o r f o r Oh i o , c o n g r a t u l a t e s membe r s o f t h e3 7 1 SB f o r w i n n i n g t h e Wound e d Wa r r i o r Ru c k Ma r c h h e l de a r l i e r i n t h e y e a r , a t C amp A r i f j a n , Kuwa i t o n Aug . 2 9 , 2 0 1 3 .

CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait(Aug. 10, 2013) – CommandSgt. Maj. Frank A. Grippe, theU.S. CENTCOM commandsergeant major, visited withtroops of the 371st SustainmentBrigade Aug. 6-8, 2013 atmilitary installationsthroughout Kuwait.

The visit, which included a tripto the theater gateway at Camp

Arifjan, the operations centerfor the Army WatercraftCompany (Provisional) and theJames A. Loux (LSV-6) atKuwait Naval Base, gave thesoldiers an opportunity to askthe command sergeant majorquestions and learn about theimportance of the U.S. militaryrole in the region.

“I go where the commander

can’t, and carry thecommander’s voice to thelowest level in theater,” saidGrippe.

On the final day of his visit,Grippe met with soldiers of the371st SB at Camp Arifjan andtoured the operation centers ofthe battalions in the area.

“It was a great honor to meetCommand Sgt. Maj. Grippe and

CENTCOM CSM Visits withSoldiers of the 371st SBStory and photo by Staff Sgt. Kimberly S.Hill

Command Sgt. Maj. Frank A. Grippe, the U.S. CENTCOM command sergeant major, speaks withsoldiers from the 371st Sustainment Brigade during a lunch at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait on Aug. 8,2013.

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definitely not your everydayexperience,” said Sgt. Corey R.Brinkman, an operationssergeant with the 371st SB whoreceived the CENTCOM coin ofexcellence from Grippe duringhis visit.

Brinkman received the coinafter sharing his ownexperiences in Afghanistanwhere he was deployed in 2012

and was awarded the BronzeStar Medal with Valor.

“I am always humbled to sharemy experiences with those whocan relate or who have been insimilar situations,” said theColumbus Grove, Ohio native.“CSM Grippe is also a recipientof the very same award.”

After the tour, the CENTCOMcommand sergeant major spoke

with and mentorednoncommissioned officersabout the importance of themission in the CentralCommand region and thestressed the importance oftaking care of one another.

“We need to do the right thingand take care of each other, andtreat each other with dignityand respect,” Grippe said.

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Gateway continued

charge of the DTASoperations with the 371st SB.

These entitlements includecombat duty pay and hostilefire pay. They also ensuresoldiers are getting paidproperly and families arebeing taken care of backhome, said Pfc. Darryl H.Shueller, a Bowman, S.C.native and a human resourcesspecialist with the 101stHuman Resources Company,371st Special TroopsBattalion, 371st SB.

“We in-process everybody,

we ship them out, and starttheir entitlements and endtheir entitlements,” saidShueller.

The JMCC handles anywherefrom 600 to 1,200 people perday coming to and fromtheater, said Sgt. Maj. ToddFriend, the Third Army seniorliaison noncommissionedofficer with the 371st Sus.Bde.

Working in a joint serviceenvironment means that allservice members working inthe transit center mustcoordinate with one another toensure that a flight is properly

manifested and the numbersare accurate, said Merzke.

“There’s really goodteamwork and everybodycooperates really well,” hesaid.

Although the fast-paced andsometimes hectic environmentcan be a challenge toaccountability, providingexcellent customer service totravel weary personnel is thekey to smooth runningoperations, said Naser.

“You just have to come inwith a smile,” he said.

THE SUSTAINER

371 SUSTAINMENT BRIGADE PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE

PAOCapt. Scott Detling

PA NCOICStaff Sgt. Joel Gottke

PA NCOStaff Sgt. Jake FadleyStaff Sgt. Kimberly Hill

LIKETHE371STSUSTAINMENTBRIGADE

ONFACEBOOK

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Every day is a good day! Eachone of them brings newchallenges and newadventures; new opportunitiesto learn. Not all of the thingsthat I do are enjoyable. Not allof the things that I do are by mychoice, but every day remains agood day! It is a choice I havemade and one that I would askeach and every one of us toconsider. Do you want to wakeup and have a good day orgrumpy one?

There are many advantages tohaving a good day, to beingoptimistic. Many of thoseadvantages are documented inscientific journals. Sparingyou from all of the researchlingo and statistics I'll simplylist a few and talk about them.Having a positive attitude hasbeen linked with a strongerimmunity and a reduction inheart attacks and strokes, aswell as other cardiovascularproblems. It has been linked tolower cholesterol as well. The

bottom line is that being apositive person may have apositive impact on your healthand help you to live longer.

Optimists handle stress better.Being able to identify theproverbial "silver lining" in astressful situation allows you tobounce back faster physicallyand mentally. You make betterand more deliberate decisionswhen you are not as stressed.Making better decisions meansthat you are doing your jobbetter. The expectation one hasregarding actions that are beingtaken greatly influences theoutcome of those actions.People who go into a situationwith a positive outlook tend totake actions that influence apositive outcome and are lesslikely to give up.

What about the benefits toothers? How often are yourspirits lifted when those aroundyou think positively andoptimistically? Being in a

good mood is contagious. Itmakes the work environment abetter place to be in andpromotes teamwork. Beingpositive and optimistic whenyou are talking to your familywill help both of you copebetter with the stresses of beingseparated. Let's face it, it'sharder to handle being herewhen you know that yourfamily is struggling or in a badmood and the same can be saidfor them. It is harder for themif nothing you say or doindicates that you are happy andOK.

So what kind of day do youwant to have and what kind ofperson do you want to bearound? As for me, I choose tobe positive and optimistic.

OptimismLt. Col. Mark A. Raaker 371 STB Commander

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KUWAIT NAVAL BASE, Kuwait(Aug. 2, 2013) - The LogisticSupport Vessel Six James A. Loux(LSV-6) houses a group ofsoldiers who operate outside oftraditional Army missions. Theirpriority is to deliver goods wherethe Navy can’t.

They transport heavy, outsized andgeneral cargo in a variety ofoperations supporting both

logistical and tactical missions, forwhich the LSV class is specificallydesigned.

“Our Vessels are shallow draft.We can get into places the Navycan’t,” said Chief Warrant OfficerClinton Smith, a Badger, Ia.native, who is the vessel'sExecutive Officer. “We’reresponsible for getting the bombs,bullets, and beans to the War

Fighter” he said.

LSV-6 measures 273 feet inlength, has a deck area of 10,500square feet, and can carry apayload of 2,000 tons. That’s theequivalent of 86 C-141 loads. Butthose are just numbers. It takes acrew of 31 mariners to put all ofthat to use.

“Everybody can pick up the slack.

Army at SeaStory and photo by Staff Sgt. Jacob Fadley

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If one guy gets hurt or if someonehas to step off the boat, there isalways someone who knows howto do that job,” said Sgt. 1st ClassKevin Poole, a Libertytown, Md.native, the LSV-6’s DetachmentSergeant. Even the lowest enlistedsoldier knows how to do amajority of the jobs on the ship, hecontinued.

“At times I’ve felt stressed, but

I’m learning a lot. And over timeI’m getting better at what I do,”said Spc. Bartholomeu Lindberg, aPigeon Forge, Tenn. native, one ofthe ship’s deck hands. “Since Ilive on the vessel I’m neverleaving my house. It’s like goingon an adventure while staying athome.”

Life aboard a ship is a differentworld. The floor is called the deck,

walls are bulkheads and a ceilingis an overhead, but even with thedifferent lingo it’s still very muchrooted in the Army.

“ I have a lot of Navy friends, andthey always ask why does theArmy need boats? Well whenGeorge Washington crossed theDelaware those weren’t sailorsrowing. That was the Army,” saidPoole.

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Chief Warrant Officer 2 Timothy Dickey radios up to the bridge that all crew aboard the vessel areaccounted for during an abandon ship drill. Logistic Support Vessel 6 James A. Loux, attached tothe 371st Sustainment Brigade, is operating in the Persian Gulf in support of Operation EnduringFreedom.